Appointment of Roman Gofman as head of Mossad validated once again
The advisory committee has once again approved the choice of Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the opposition of its chairman Asher Grunis.
The commission responsible for reviewing appointments to the most sensitive positions in Israel has once again approved the appointment of General Roman Gofman as head of Mossad.
This new decision comes after a request from the Supreme Court, which had ordered the commission to reconsider the case before Roman Gofman’s scheduled inauguration. The request came from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara who argued that the appointment cannot legally stand because an unauthorized involvement of a minor in a high-risk intelligence operation casted a “heavy shadow” over Gofman’s conduct and integrity.
The challenges to this appointment concern, in particular, the Ori Elmakayes case and issues related to an alleged influence operation associated with the IDF during the period when Roman Gofman commanded the 210th division.
In a supplementary opinion sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, the majority of the commission members considered that the new elements examined did not raise any doubts about Roman Gofman’s integrity. According to them, these elements even strengthened their support for his appointment.
The chairman of the commission, Asher Grunis, former president of the Supreme Court, nevertheless expressed a minority opinion. He believes that further review is still necessary before the appointment can be definitively approved.
Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this minority position, stating that Roman Gofman had already undergone an unnecessary ordeal. The Prime Minister called on the Supreme Court not to delay his appointment, as the current head of Mossad, David Barnea's term, is set to end on June 2.